BSW/MSW in Social Work

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.W.) and Master of Science (M.S.W.) program in the Department of Social Work fulfills the education requirements for professional licenses outlined below. Both programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation (CSWE).

State social work licensing standards vary by state.  Some states only require the completion of an MSW degree from a CSWE accredited program to be eligible for social work licensure in that state. Other states require specific curricular paths (a mixture of courses), explicit course content, and/or other state-specific educational requirements.  States that require explicit content or additional educational requirements are listed as "Does not Meet". Such a designation does not mean that your University of Mississippi program prevents social work license eligibility in that state. This designation simply means that there are additional educational requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for licensure.

State licensing requirements are always subject to change at the discretion of the state licensing board. The University will routinely update this page, but we strongly recommend you inquire with the applicable state board to confirm your eligibility for licensure prior to enrolling in the Bachelor of Science (B.S.W.)  or the Master of Science (M.S.W.) Social Work programs.

If you have questions about these determinations, please contact the University of Mississippi's Department of Social Work office at socialwork@olemiss.edu. (Hyperlink: mailto: socialwork@olemiss.edu)

If questions remain after reviewing the information provided below, contact your program coordinator. . (Hyperlink: mailto: socialwork@olemiss.edu) While the university can provide initial guidance, it is ultimately your responsibility to continually check with the state/territory where you intend to seek licensure to confirm all licensing/certification requirements.

Search Disclosures by State

State	Does BSW degree meet the educational requirements for a license in this state?	Does MSW degree meet the educational requirements for a license in this state?	Name of State Licensing Board	Notes (BSW/MSW)	Rescent Determination Review Date	Person Responsible for Update
Alabama	Yes	Yes	Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners socialwork.alabama	BSW: 2 years  supervised experience required/ MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience	4/4/25	ED
Alaska	Yes	Yes	Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners commerce.alaska	MSW: 3000 hrs of supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Arizona	Yes	Yes	Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners azbbhe.us	MSW: 24 months of supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Arkansas	Yes	Yes	Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board arkansas.gov	MSW: 4000 supervised hrs to be licensed certified social worker	4/4/25	ED
California	N/A	No	California Board of Behavioral Sciences bbs.ca.gov/applicants	BSW: Does not offer license at bachelor degree level | MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience; applicant must take LCSW Law and Ethics Exam, Six (6) hours of coursework or applied experience in Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention, Three (3) hours of coursework in the provision of mental health services, and the following additional courses: Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting in  California (7 hours), Human Sexuality (10 hours), Alcoholism and Chemical  Substance Abuse and Dependency (15 hours), Aging, Long Term Care and Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse (10 hours), & California Cultures and the Social  and Psychological Implications of  Socioeconomic Position (15 hours or 1 semester unit)	4/4/25	ED
Colorado	N/A	No	Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners colorado.gov	BSW: Does not offer license at bachelor degree level/ | MSW: 3360 hrs supervised experience to be licensed clinical social worker, must complete Healthcare Professions Profile Program, and pass the Colorado's Mental Health Professions Jurisprudence to become a licensed Clinical Social Worker.	4/4/25	ED
Connecticut	N/A	Yes	Connecticut Department of Public Health portal.ct.gov	BSW: Does not offer license at bachelor degree level | MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience to be licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Delaware	Yes	Yes	Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners dpr.delaware.gov	MSW: 3200 hrs supervised experience to be licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
District of Columbia	Yes	Yes	Washington, D.C., Board of Social Work dchealth.dc.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience to be licensed independent or independent clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Florida	Yes	No	Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling floridasmentalhealth professions.gov	BSW: Does not offer license at bachelor degree level | MSW: 1500 hrs supervised experience to be licensed clinical social worker, must also complete the LAWS & RULES course: an 8-hour Florida laws and rules course, must complete HIV/AIDs course (3 hours), and a Domestic Violence course (2 hours); 3000 hrs supevised experience to be a certified master social worker, must also complete 3 semester hours of graduate level coursework in the following content areas: (1) agency administration and supervision; (2) program planning and evaluation; (3) staff development; (4) research; (5) community organization; (6) community services; (7) social planning and (8) human services advocacy	4/4/25	ED
Georgia	N/A	Yes	Georgia Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists sos.ga.gov	BSW: Does not offer license at bachelor degree level | MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience to be a licensed clinical social worker or 2 years supervised experience to be a licensed master social worker	4/4/25	ED
Hawaii	Yes	Yes	Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs cca.hawaii.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs of supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Idaho	Yes	Yes	Idaho Board of Social Work Examiners ibol.idaho.gov	BSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required upon licensure | MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical or master social worker	4/4/25	ED
Illinois	Yes	Yes	Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation idfpr.com	BSW: 3 years of experience required | MSW: 3000 supervised hrs required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Indiana	Yes	Yes	Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board in.gov	MSW: 24 months of supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Iowa	Yes	Yes	Iowa Department of Public Health dial.iowa.gov	MSW: 4000 supervised hrs to be licensed independent social worker	4/4/25	ED
Kansas	Yes	Yes	Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board ksbsrb.ks.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs post-graduate supervised experience required to be a licensed specialist clinical social worker with at least 1500 involving direct client contact	4/4/25	ED
Kentucky	Yes	Yes	Kentucky Board of Social Work bsw.ky.gov	BSW: 2 years  supervised experience required | MSW: 2 years supervised experience required to be a certified social worker or 3600 hrs supervised experience to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Louisiana	Yes	Yes	Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners labswe.org	MSW: 3840 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Maine	Yes	Yes	Maine State Board of Social Work Licensure maine.gov	BSW: 3200 hrs supervised experience required/ MSW: 3200 hrs supervised experience required (6400 hrs with a non-clinical DSW)	4/4/25	ED
Maryland	Yes	Yes	Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners health.maryland.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed certified social worker or certified clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Massachusetts	Yes	Yes	Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers mass.gov/orgs	MSW: 3500 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed independent clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Michigan	Yes	Yes	Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs michigan.gov	BSW: 4000 hrs supervised experienced required to be a licensed social worker | MSW: 4000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed Master Social Worker or Licensed Master Social Worker-Macro	4/4/25	ED
Minnesota	Yes	Yes	Minnesota Board of Social Work mn.gov/boards	BSW: 4000 hrs supervised experienced required to be a licensed social worker | MSW: 4000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed Graduate, Independent, or Independent Clinical Social Worker	4/4/25	ED
Mississippi	Yes	Yes	Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists swmft.ms.gov	MSW: 24 months of supervised experience required to be a licensed certified social worker	4/4/25	ED
Missouri	Yes	Yes	Missouri Committee for Social Workers pr.mo.gov	BSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required upon licensure | MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical or advanced macro social worker	4/4/25	ED
Montana	Yes	Yes	Montana Board of Behavioral Health boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov	BSW: 2000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed baccalaureate social worker |  MSW: 2000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed master social worker; 3000 hrs required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Nebraska	Yes	Yes	Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services dhhs.ne.gov	MSW; 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a certified master social worker or a licensed (independent) mental health practitioner	4/4/25	ED
Nevada	Yes	Yes	Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers socwork.nv.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required upo licensure to be a licensed master social worker, independent social worker, or clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
New Hampshire	N/A	Yes	New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice oplc.nh.gov	BSW: Does not offer licensure at th Bachelor degree level |   MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed independent clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
New Jersey	Yes	Yes	New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners njconsumeraffairs.gov	BSW: 1600 hrs supervised experience required(only with a BA or BS degree) |  MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker( 1920 hours must be in face-to-face client contact, and at least half of the 1920 hours must be in psychotherapeutic counseling specifically (minimum 960).	4/4/25	ED
New Mexico	Yes	No	New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners rld.state.nm.us	MSW: 3600 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical or independent social worker. Please note that applicant’s for licensure in New Mexico must take a Board approved course in New Mexico cultures if they obtain their social work degree outside of New Mexico.	4/4/25	ED
New York	N/A	No	New York Office of the Professions op.nysed.gov	BSW: Does not offer licensure at the Bachelor degree level |  MSW: 3 years of post-graduate supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker, and must complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider; LMSW: Field practicum of at least 900 clock hours in social work;	4/4/25	ED
North Carolina	Yes	Yes	North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board ncswboard.org	BSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a certified social work manager |  MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
North Dakota	Yes	Yes	North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners ndbswe.com	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Ohio	Yes	Yes	Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board cswmft.ohio.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed independent social worker	4/4/25	ED
Oklahoma	Yes	Yes	Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers ok.gov	MSW: 4000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed social worker, licensed social worker-administration, or licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Oregon	Yes	Yes	Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers oregon.gov/BLSW	MSW: 3500 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Pennsylvania	Yes	Yes	Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors dos.pa.gov	BSW: Does not offer licensure at the Bachelor degree level |  MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Puerto Rico	Yes	Yes	Puerto Rico Department of State statedepartment.pr.gov	Please note in order to obtain licensure in Puerto Rico an applicant must be a legal resident of Puerto Rico.	4/4/25	ED
Rhode Island	Yes	Yes	Rhode Island Department of Health health.ri.gov	BSW: Does not offer licensure at the Bachelo degree level |  MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed independent clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
South Carolina	Yes	No	South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners llr.sc.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs post-graduate supervised experience required to be a licensed independent social worker(CP or AP), LISW: Must demonstrate 15 academic contact hours or 20 continuing education contact hours in professional ethics during the course of the professional supervision period, or have completed a board sponsored specialty course in professional ethics; Must have forty-five academic coursework hours each of: Psychopathology and Psycho-Diagnostics (for Clinical Practice); Must have ninety academic contact hours of coursework in: Advanced social work practice with communities and organizations (Advanced Practice)	4/4/25	ED
South Dakota	Yes	Yes	South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners dss.sd.gov	MSW: 2 yrs supervised experience to be a certified social worker private independent practice	4/4/25	ED
Tennessee	Yes	Yes	Tennessee Board of Social Workers tn.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker or licensed advanced practice social worker	4/4/25	ED
Texas	Yes	No	Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners bhec.texas.gov	BSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed baccalaureate social worker upon licensure |  MSW: 3000 hrs (at least 100 supervised) experience required to be a licensed master social worker, licensed master worker-advanced practice, or licensed clinical social worker; you will need to pass an online Jurisprudence Exam	4/4/25	ED
Utah	Yes	Yes	Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing dopl.utah.gov	BSW:  2000 hrs supervised experience required(only with a BA or BS degree) |   MSW: 4000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Vermont	Yes	No	Vermont Office of Professional Regulation sos.vermont.gov	BSW: Does not offer licensure at the Bachelor degree level |  MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed independent clinical social worker; you will need to pass an online Jurisprudence Exam	4/4/25	ED
Virgin Islands	Yes	Yes	Virgin Islands Board of Social Workers dlca.vi.gov	BSW:  2000 hrs supervised experience required(only with a BA or BS degree) |  MSW: 2 yrs supervised experience required to be a certified independent social worker	4/4/25	ED
Virginia	Yes	No	Virginia Board of Social Work dhp.virginia.gov/social	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker, you must also complete a 600-hour practicum that is integrated with your clinical degree coursework	4/4/25	ED
Washington	Yes	Yes	Washington Department of Health doh.wa.gov	BSW: Does not offer licensure at the Bachelor degree level |  MSW: 3200 hrs supervised experience required  to be a licensed advanced social worker; 4000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed independent clinical social worker( Of those hours: 1,000 must be direct client contact supervised by a licensed independent clinical social worker; 130 hours of direct supervision as follows: 70 hours must be with an independent clinical social worker and 60 must be in one-to-one supervision.)	4/4/25	ED
West Virginia	Yes	Yes	West Virginia Board of Social Work wvsocialworkboard.org	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience to be a licensed certified social worker; 4000 hrs supevised experience to be a licensed independent clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED
Wisconsin	Yes	No	Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board dsps.wi.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a certified independent social worker or licensed clinical social worker, you must take the Wisconsin Jurisprudence exam.	4/4/25	ED
Wyoming	Yes	Yes	Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board mentalhealth.wyo.gov	MSW: 3000 hrs supervised experience required to be a licensed clinical social worker	4/4/25	ED

Reference Websites:
Social Work Licensing Boards
Social Work License Map
Social Work Licensure by State - SocialWork.org
Getting Your Social Work Licensure: State by State Requirements (publicservicedegrees.org)
Shepherd University | Social Work | Social Work Licensure Disclosure By State
Licensing requirements by state or province - Association of Social Work Boards

Disclaimer: Although all state licensing and education boards have been reviewed by the University of Mississippi’s SW Department for program adherence to meet the educational requirements, it is up to each student to review the boards as well and be knowledgeable of all requirements. Some boards require additional tests, specific clinical clock hours, or unique state specifications. These requirements are noted here but are also privy to change without notice. The University of Mississippi’s SW program proudly states that it meets the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation (CSWE) Standards.